Budget traveler? Looking for a way to further reduce the cost of your trip?
You may be surprised to learn it’s not all about flight costs and bargaining at markets. Here are 3 essential travel accessories that will save you money on your next journey!
Before we start our essential travel accessories countdown, we begin with this neat little item: a portable shampoo bottle.
I’m sure you have experienced at least once the disaster of shower gels exploding in your suitcase, and the fact these bottles are small (keep reading to find out why that’s important), and won’t be thrown out at airport security (you will find this out as well), will help on long trips for the budget traveler.
Just fill them up when you are at hotels, Airbnbs, or hostels that have available shampoo, so you can take a nice shower when you stay at places that don’t have this luxury.
This option on Amazon is nice and compact:
https://amzn.to/3U5guIg
Food accounts for a large part of our travel expenses, so most budget travelers will do at least some cooking at accommodations with a kitchen, like a hostel or Airbnb.
When leaving I often find myself throwing things away, or not cooking in the first place if my stay isn’t long enough, and then wasting more money eating out.
Naturally, after packing and leaving the accommodation we tend to find ourselves at an airport or transportation hub where prices are high.
The savings from packing away a meal or two in a good piece of Tupperware, especially ahead of flights with long layovers at overpriced airports, will stack up in the long run.
You only need one unit, which is why this item is perfect, it even comes with a neat little place to store your fork!
https://amzn.to/47wvByX
You can also get yourself a good set with the reputable brand Vremi
https://amzn.to/47wvByX
We talked about food, so what about drink? In comes the filtered water bottle!
Filters and their accompanying bottles are fast becoming must-have travel accessories, and for good reason. A filtered bottle gives you:
– Available drinking water both in the city (tap) and nature (stream)
– Free water!
You are even doing something for the environment by not throwing away dozens of water bottles every week.
I highly recommend the 1-liter foldable bottle by Katadyn BeFree. It survived half a year of rough travel in South America.
This product requires less effort to drink through the filter than the better-known LifeStraw filter.
You can find both products here:
Katadyn BeFree
https://amzn.to/4bbDCLV
LifeStraw
https://amzn.to/4d8I2oT
Foldable bottles are better because they fit in a small chest bag, which is preferable to a backpack in many situations because it is harder to pickpocket.
Also, being compact, like all items on this list, is crucial. You will see shortly why…
Take note that even with a filter, there are some water sources you should not drink from. These bottles tend to filter over 99.99% of bacteria but don’t filter out chemicals.
So you should be careful when drinking tap water from developing countries. Ask locals if it is OK and also use this water quality guide for reference:
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/water-quality-by-country
Your most important travel accessory is also the one that will save you the most money, why?
All across the globe, low-cost airlines are popping up offering dirt-cheap flight prices, but there is a catch: you pay more for a carry-on trolly, not to mention a suitcase than the price of the flight itself. In comes your hand luggage bag, which saves hundreds of dollars on flights, and still fits everything you need.
This is why all the previous small, foldable items on this list are crucial.
What type of bag are we talking about?
A 40-liter, medium-sized backpack that should pass the hand luggage check, while still fitting everything an efficient traveler needs. Look no further, I present to you, the Osprey Farpoint!
This bag has the design of a hiking bag so it sits very comfortably on the shoulders, and it comes in men’s and women’s versions for a snug fit.
The outside of the bag has some quick-access pockets and a place to put your filtered water bottle. The laptop sleeve can fit a computer up to 16 inches in size (although you should be traveling with a 13-inch).
The main compartment has room for plenty of clothes and other accessories, especially if you use packing cubes to maximize the space. This will also help organize your belongings.
I and many other backpackers found the Osprey to have enough room for everything, and bear in mind I carry extra blogging equipment such as a GoPro and drone. I never heard of someone who was forced to pay extra due to its size, even if it does flirt with the weight and size limits.
Going on a long backpacking trip with minimal belongings can sound scary, but the money and hassle you save make it totally worth it.
You can purchase your Osprey Farpoint here!
As long as you have one week’s worth of shirts, underwear, and socks, one jeans, hiking pants, and shorts, you are set. A weekly wash will solve all the rest!
The best travel accessory for saving money is a good hand luggage bag, so make sure your other items fit that system!
If you think you will miss that extra shirt, pants, or pair of sneakers, then I tell you this: Experiences make us happy, not stuff. Especially when traveling. Remember that!
Which travel accessories help save money on a trip?
A good travel bag that passes as hand luggage helps you book very cheap flights on low-cost airlines. Savings from a filtered water bottle stack up during a long backpacking trip.
How do you pack light for a trip?
Pack a week’s worth of underwear and socks, one nice pair of pants, one travel pants, one shorts, and a down jacket.
Toiletries in a cosmetics bag, and one pair of shoes on you.
Can I pack light for a long trip?
Yes. As long as you have clothes for a week, you can travel indefinitely by doing weekly laundry.
Anything you may be missing, you can buy during your travels.